MLB Game Preview - San Francisco at St. Louis

Wed Sep 4, 2019 7:45 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals will try to clinch another series victory Wednesday as their four-game set with the visiting San Francisco Giants continues.

The streaking Cardinals beat the Giants in the first two games at Busch Stadium, 3-1 and 1-0. St. Louis has won 20 of its last 25 games overall while seizing the National League Central lead.

The fading Giants, meanwhile, have lost seven of their last eight games and 11 of 14.

Long-time Giants manager Bruce Bochy has come to admire the job Mike Shildt is doing during his first full season as Cardinals manager.

"They're clicking in all facets of the game and it's a credit to him," Bochy told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm sure the fact he's spent so many years in the minor leagues and having mentors that have taught him to do things right -- they have the Cardinal Way, which I respect very much -- has helped him."

Thanks to back-to-back doubleheaders over the weekend, none of the Cardinals' regular starting pitchers are available to pitch on their normal four days' rest for Wednesday's game.

So rather than call on prospect Genesis Cabrera or begin with a relief pitcher to open the game, Shildt assigned Michael Wacha to start on three days' rest.

Wacha (6-6, 5.07 ERA) threw 95 pitches in seven innings in Saturday's second doubleheader game and held the Cincinnati Reds to two runs on a pair of solo homers. The Cardinals won that game 3-2 but Wacha did not factor in the decision.

Shildt hopes to get at least a couple of innings out of him against the Giants.

"We talked to Michael honestly about what that looked like, how he felt, and he was very sincere and very convincing, quite honestly, that he feels great," Shildt told reporters. "He knows we're not going to take him beyond ... I don't know what that number looks like, it's unfair to put numbers on anything because he could be working really quickly and effectively so those pitches don't typically add up to as much stress. So we'll be prudent on what it looks like."

Wacha is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in six career starts against the Giants. He has not faced them this season.

The Giants will counter with Madison Bumgarner (9-8, 3.62), who has pitched very well lately -- holding opponents to eight runs in 32 innings during his last five starts.

Bumgarner has posted a 2.81 ERA over his last 13 starts and the Giants have won 11 of those games. He held the Pirates to one hit in seven innings during his previous start, an 8-3 victory on August 30.

"When he's on the mound, we feel like we're going to win every single game he's out there," Giants first baseman Brandon Belt told MLB.com. "We need that. It's nice to have that feeling as a ball club."

Bumgarner lasted just two innings in his start against the Cardinals back on July 6. He exited the game with an elbow contusion after Jose Martinez hit him with a line drive back to the mound.

He is 4-5 with a 4.59 ERA in 11 regular season career starts against the Cardinals.

--Field Level Media